Fastener-feed mechanism



FASTENER FEED MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED NOVI 29| I9I8.

1,434,704. Patented Non. 7,1922.

, n BX ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 7, 1922.

UNITED STA-TES [PATNT: *OFFICE GEORGE W. JACQUES, or` siTEArrEoEn/CONNECTIT, Assrenon To THE SINGER MANU- EACTUEING COMPANY, a conronafrron, 0E NEWJEasEY.

\ n l EAs'rENEn-EEEE MECHAN'ISMJ f Applicationled November 29,V 1918.. 'Serial No. 264,514.

To all wlw/nit may concern:

Be it known that I, .GEORGE WV. JACQUES, a vcitizen of the United States, residing at Stratford, lin the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented `.certain new. and useful Improvements inFastener- Feed Mechanism, Vrof which .the following is a specification, referencey being hadtherein to the accompanying drawings. i.

This invention rela-tes to lioppers for feeding individual `objects .from a mass `in a predetermined position yto` 4other mechanism, and the embodiment herein shown and described is more particularly designed for use in an eyelet setting:l machine tol feed eyelets to the setting mechanism.` In hoppers yheretofore constructed forthis purpose much diiiiculty has been experienced in maintaininga free How of eyelets. Rotary agitat- A ing means are usually employedto shake the contents of the hopper 'about so that lsome of the fasteners maybe presented one a `ameter of the hopper, parts-being broken after another in the proper position to pass out of the hopper andzdow'na raceway to the setting mechanism. As commonly constructed, the agitating element-sare forced to sweep through a considerable body of fasteners which so impedes motion of the individual vfastener as to lhinder its VAproper positioning for exit. Considerable waste of power is also'. occasioned by vagitationof a needlessly large body `of fasteners at one time, and thefasteners. are often jammed in the exit opening, thus preventing feeding, and are rubbed or injuredy This invention seeks to overcome the diili- -culties above mentioned byjproviding va hopper whereina relatively smallnumberof fasteners will be agitated within a `space large enough to insure relatively free movement for each fastener and whereby the-fastener will be' gently forced-out into the raceway without danger of jammingwis it becomes properly positioned relativetheret'o. For this purpose a rotating upwardly dished bafflemember is `arranged to receive fasteners from a-supply reservoir, this plate serving to retard the `flow to the agitator, but being so constructed and yarranged as to feed fasteners 'at a rate which cancreadily be handled. i K. f 4.

It' further provides means whereby the agitatinggjy elements are' held firmly inplace during the voperation y of the machine. but

may be readily and individually removed for replacement, 'repair jor vother purposes, such means also servingto retain the bafiie plate in: position.`

plying position, butwhich allows it to be yreadilyremoved to be relled.

Further advantages and novel details of --const'ructionwill beapparent from a further description of the embodiment of the inthan in eyelet'setting machines without departing from the spirit or scope thereof.

. nthe drawings:

"Fig lf'represents an elevation of the hopper and reservoir as supported on the Inacliine, certain partsl being broken away, and

FigQ represents a section along the di- Fig. 3 is a detail of 'al-modification, v

1 indicatesa bracket mounted as by'means -of bolts 2 and 3 onta-suitable supporting member 4-fcarr'iedfby the lfra'rne of the machine to whichthel mechanism isto be applied. The; bracket 1 fisprovidedv with an Ioutwardly. 'extending arm having at its outer .extremity a bearing, within which is mounted a,sleevelinember6.` Integrally or able manner as" byfmeans of brackets 8,

JIt furtherprovides a reservoir adapted to supply thehopper with fasteners and means Iby which the reservoir iS supported in supscrews Qand wing nuts? 10, is a cylindrical `hopper casing .11.,said casing being formed `at. its( upper end-.with ahead or `cover 12 provided with-an enlarged :opening k13. fWithin' the sleeve Gis a rotatable shaft 14V fwliich may be constantly driven from any` 4convenient source of power.

v Shaft 14' carries at its, upper end, preferably integral therewith, a head15, adapted to project within the opening` 13 of cover 12 and to find' a bearing therein, Head 15 formsone portion ofk a two-part drum-like member, theother portion bein-g formed by a ring 16, fastened to head 15 by. means of yscrews-,17.v Ring 16 is `provided at intervals with radial transverse openings 16 adapted to receive fe'rrules 19 of agitator brushes 20. Ferrules 19 are held inplace in the ring member 416 by screws 17 which fasten the ring 16 to the head 15, and whose lower ends project into suitable openings in the ferrules as shown in Fig.l 2l

An upwardly 'dished battle plate 21 is held between ring 16 and head 15- and is clamped therebetween by means of the screws 17. This baffle plate extends out-v wardly and upwardly toward the .casing 11 providing a partition extending nearly across the annular chamber formed by casing 11 and drum 15,16, thus dividing it into two annular .chambers communicating with each other by a narrow annular opening between the outer edge of the bafiie and casing 11. The upwardly dished baffle member 2 1/tog`ether with head 15 form an annular receptacle for the fasteners abovethe agitator brushes 2O.

The casing 11'is slotted at 22V for'the reception of thefupper end of the raceway members 23, 24. Slot 22 is p-artially closed by an. adjustable plate 25 which allows for insertion of different sizes of raceway members. A separator member 26 projects partially within the slot 22v and cooperates with raceways 28, 24. to deliver anl independent series of fasteners: to each raceway in opposed positions.

The hopper 7, 11 is supported in an inclined position onthe bracket member 1 and is provided in itscover member 12 with an opening 27. A bracket member 28 is also fastened to the bracket 1 and serves to support the rear end of a reservoir'29 which rests by gravity thereon. The lower end of reservoir 29 is provided With-'an opening adapted to register with opening 27 of the hoppery and is held in registry therewith by means of a plateBO fastened on the reservoir and having a slot therein cooperating with a pin- 31 projecting from the cover 12.' It is thus seen that reservoir 29 rests b-y gravity on the support 28 andy the hopper 11, and can be j removed readily for replenishment. If desired the slot in plate 30 may be provided with one or more notches 30l constructedv to engage pin 31. this construction the degree of registry ofthe openings in the reservoir and hopper may be varied to vary the effective feed opening to the hopper and consequently affect the rate of feed. It should also be noted that due to the inclined mounting of the hopper baille plate 21 is also inclined, and that opening 30 is so positioned as to feed onto the baille plate above its lowest portion.

Operation: Reservoir 29 is filled with fasteners and is placed in position on bracket 28 with its opening 'regis/tering with the opening 27 of the reservoir. On clockwise rotation of shaft 14 the two-part drum comprising the head 15 and ring 16 is rotated carrying with it agitating brushes 2O and baffle plate 21. rIhe fasteners from the reservoir 29 drop upon the upper dished surface of battle 21, which in its rotation tends to carry them upward around the central drum. During this opera-tion a limited number of fasteners find their way over the outer edge of the baille plate and fall into the lower annular chamber of the hopper where they are engaged/by the brushes. The inclination or dishing of baffle 21 is so proportioned that the flow of fasteners over its edgeis retarded just sufiiciently to keep the agitating` brushes' properly supplied with fasteners and yet leave room for free movement yof the fasteners as they are moved by the brushes so.. that they maybe readily positionedto escape from slot 22 and into the raceways.- The agi'tating brushes are readily removed for repairs or other purposes by loosening the screwsl 17 whereupon they may be removed with their ferrules from ring 16. The entire removal of screws 17 allows the drum members and baiile pla-te, as well as the brushes, to be disassembled.

In Fig. 3 is shown a modified means of adjusting the width of slot 22 tol accommodate different sizes. of raceway members. In this construction base plate 7 is extended beneath slot- 22 as in the form previously described' 'and carries at its end 'anglefmember 7 Theverti-cal leg of angle 7. carries the separator member 26, and closure plate 25', both separator member and closure plate being mounted with capacity for small vertical adjustment by providing vertically elongated slots in angle 7. through which fastening screws for these are passed. This is the preferred construction since by it all projections on the interior of the hopper tending to interfere with they proper-movement of its Icontents are eliminated.

Having thus described one embodiment of my invention what I claim asr my Ainvention 1s,- f y 1. In an eyelet-settingmachine, a cylindrical hopper, an agitator therein, and an upwardly dished and inclined annular baffle-plate spaced substantially from said hopper throughout its periphery and arranged to distribute eyelets over its edge to said agitator;

2. In an eyelet-setting machine, a hopper, an agitator the-rein, a. reservoir adapted to deliver eyelets to said agitator, means moving withv said agitator with-in the hopper adapted to retard the flow of eyelets be' tween the reservoir and the agitator, and means for varying the rate of delivery of eyelets from said reservoir.

3. In a feeding `mechanism for eyelets and the like, a hopper, a closed two-part drum occupying the central portion of said hopper, agitatin'g elements carried by one efl said drum parts, and means to fasten said drum parts together, said means also securing said agitating elements in position upon their respective drum part.

4. In a feeding mechanism for eyelets and the like, a hopper, a closed two-part drum occupying the central portion of said hopper, agitating elements carried by said drum, and means to fasten the two parts of said drum together, said means serving to secure said agitating elements 'to said drum.

5. In a feeding mechanism for eyelets and the like, a hopper, a central drum therein, an agitating element, a baffle-plate, and common fastening element-s for securing said agitating element and baille-plate together upon said drum.

6. In an eyelet feeding mechanism, a cylindrical hopper formed with a peripheral discharge aperture, a rotary drum mounted concentrically therein and forming with the hopper an annular chamber extending from top to bottom of the latter, agitating elements carried by said drum and having a range of movement adjacent said aperture, and a baille plate also carried by said drum within said hopper and positioned above said agitating elements.

7. In an eyelet feeding mechanism a cylindrical hopper formed with a peripheral discharge aperture, a rotary drum mounted concentrically therein and forming with the hopper an annular chamber, means for de livcring eyelets intermediate said drum and the peripheral wall of said hopper, agitating elements carried by and disposed externally to said drum and a dished baflle plate also carried by said drum Within said hopper and positioned above said agitating elements.

8. In an eyelet feeding mechanism, a cylindrical hopper formed with a peripheral discharge aperture, a rotary drum mounted concentrically therein and forming with the hopper an annular chamber, agitating elements carried by and disposed externally of said drum, and an upwardly dished baille plate carried by said drum Within said hopper and forming a receptacle above said elements.

9. In an eyelet feeding mechanism, a hopper, an inclined annular rotary battleplate therein, means to rotate said bailleplate, and stationary means for delivering eyelets to said baiile-plate intermediate the lowest and highest points of its inclined surface and upon the upwardly moving side of the same, whereby the eyelets are carried upwardly preparatory to discharge over the edge of the baffle-plate.

10. A hopper having a slotted side member, a base plate extending beyond said side member beneath said slot, a raceway member projecting into said slot, and means carried by said base plate extension partially closing said slot. f

11. A hopper having a slotted side member, a base plate extending beyond said side member, a race member supported by said extension in position to receive material passing' through said slot, and a member carried by said base plate independently of said side member for adjusting the effective width of said slot.

12. In a feeding mechanism, a hopper, an inclined rotary baiile plate therein, means to rotate said baffle plate in one direction, means to feed material to said plate at one side of its axis of rotation and between the highest and lowest portions only of its inclined surface, and means for dlischarging material from said hopper.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

GEORGE W. JACQUES. 

